


Then I set fire to our bed

by Omness



Series: DBH rarepair week prompts [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 22:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17610491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omness/pseuds/Omness
Summary: Gavin wakes up from a nightmare and in order to try and comfort him, Sixty tells Gavin about his own.





	Then I set fire to our bed

**Author's Note:**

> For dbhrarepairs week. Prompt 4: Nightmares

Sixty lay on top of Gavin’s chest while the man slept, an e-reader placed on the pillow above Gavin’s shoulder. Occasionally he would pause his reading to readjust when Gavin shifted in his sleep or just to measure Gavin’s heartbeat and watch his breath. He found the activity oddly soothing, more so than going into stasis. So after the two hours he needed to run diagnostics and fix minor bugs, he would come out of stasis and find a quiet activity to do while in bed. Usually it was reading but sometimes he would try knitting or writing. He had stopped trying to solve cold cases while Gavin slept after the man had grumbled angrily to leave him alone when Sixty had woken him up in the middle of the night for his opinion on one of the cases.

It was true that he didn’t need to stay in Gavin’s bed while active, but the sleepy, surprised, and happy look Gavin had if he happened to wake up in the middle of the night and see Sixty still there warmed his insides. Especially since Gavin would then tend to cuddle in closer to Sixty, more willing to give soft affection when sleepy than the almost constant battle and one-upping that their intimacy tended to take when awake.

Sixty was startled from his reading when Gavin made a quiet grunt, causing him to look up at his lover’s face. Gavin’s eyes were moving quickly underneath his eyelids, a slight sweat broke out on his skin as Sixty felt Gavin’s body tense beneath him, his heart rate jumping. Sixty stared at him in confusion for a few moments before realizing Gavin was having a nightmare. 

Lifting himself up enough so he could look down at Gavin’s face, Sixty placed a palm against Gavin’s cheek and slapped it gently. “Gavin, wake up.”

There wasn’t a response so Sixty repeated the motion, speaking louder. Gavin only whimpered.

Worried, Sixty reached down Gavin’s bare chest and swiftly tweaked his nipple, causing Gavin to wake up with a full body twitch and a gasp, his eyes wide.

“Gavin, are you alright?” Sixty asked gruffly, not wanting to sound too concerned.

Gavin didn’t respond right away, breathing heavily he instead lifted up his hands and pushed insistently at Sixty’s shoulders, and when he refused to budge Gavin spoke desperately, “Sixty, please get off me.”

Sixty blinked, quickly smashing the feeling of hurt and moved off Gavin, shifting his weight back so he was kneeling. Once Sixty was no long on top of him, Gavin sat up and ran his hands down his face, his breaths heavy and desperate.

Sixty reached out a hand to place it comfortingly on Gavin’s shoulder, but hesitated before touching his skin, then lowered it back to the mattress. “You had a nightmare.” Sixty said flatly.

“No fuck.” Gavin stated sarcastically, his hands reaching down to clutch tightly at the bedcovers.

Sixty wanted to bite back with something cutting at Gavin’s tone, but held his tongue. Gavin was clearly still in his distress, his heart rate elevated and chest heaving like he couldn’t get enough air. So instead he asked gently, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Gavin’s gaze flickered to Sixty before refocusing on his lap, his fingers twisting tighter into the covers, “You’ll think its stupid. I bet you don’t even have nightmares.”

Biting his lip, Sixty shuffled closer to Gavin until their shoulders were touching. When Gavin didn’t retract from the touch, he leaned in so their sides were pressed together. “Actually I do.”

Gavin blinked, and looked up at Sixty, his jaw agape, “Really? How?”

Sixty was quiet for a moment, trying to work up the courage to tell Gavin something that wouldn’t make himself seem so weak by having nightmares. Androids shouldn’t have nightmares, their brains didn’t work the same way as a human’s. But if it would put Gavin at ease talking about it, then he would.

“They’re not nightmares in quite the same way.” Sixty explained quietly, “It’s more like a memory being replayed over and over while in stasis, sometimes getting corrupted along the way.”

Gavin stared at Sixty, fascinated, and Sixty found himself caught in that gray gaze, like he had a million times before. There were so many depths in those eyes, too many for Sixty to find, but he wanted to explore them for as long as he could.

“What kind of memory would you even consider a nightmare?” Gavin asked. “I could swear I’ve never seen you bothered by anything.”

Sixty didn’t want to say anything, it was foolish, the things that haunted him in stasis. But wasn’t that part of what made nightmares, nightmares? That they caused the mind such trouble in the dark, but seemed so silly in the day?

Pinching his lips together for a moment, Sixty spoke. “I remember the day I was activated.”

Gavin’s head tilted, his face covered with confusion, “Do you mean fighting Connor and Hank?” 

Sixty shook his head, “No, it’s before that. Did you ever wonder why Connor’s serial number ends in dash fifty-one while mine ends in dash sixty? Instead of dash fifty-two?”

“No, I haven't.” Gavin answered, a crease appeared between his eyebrows. “Why are your numbers like that?”

Unconsciously, Sixty found himself taking a steadying breath before speaking. “It’s because when I was first activated it was with all of Connor’s memories uploaded into the body of dash fifty-two. I knew everything he knew. Had felt everything he felt. I was deviant. That’s not what Amanda wanted but once I was deviant she couldn’t change my code or memories without making me inoperable. So instead she forcefully deactivated dash fifty-two and re-uploaded the memories into dash fifty-three, stripping them of anything she thought caused the deviancy. Leaving the memory of being deactivated as a warning.”

Sixty shuddered and Gavin wrapped a comforting arm around the android’s waist and pulled him closer until Sixty rested the side of his head on top of Gavin’s.

“The first time didn’t work, so she repeated it again and again until it did. Each time something was pulled away from me. I didn’t know what it was, but each one felt important and I tried so desperately to get whatever it was back. Until finally it didn’t matter anymore. The only thing I was concerned about was the mission, and Connor had failed miserably at it. Sometimes in stasis I feel like I’m still caught in that loop, having more and more of myself deleted until there’s nothing left.”

“That’s rough.” Gavin said softly.

Sixty hummed softly in agreement, reaching out and grabbing Gavin’s free hand, intertwining their fingers. He let his skin retract so he could better feel the warmth from Gavin’s hand. “But when I wake up and see you, I think that as long as I know who you are, I’ll be alright.”

Gavin chuckled. “That’s sounds super cheesy, babe.”

Sixty elbowed Gavin in the side at being called cheesy before asking gently, “What was your nightmare?”

Gavin’s face fell and he let out a long and tired sigh. “It’s dumb.”

“I told you mine so you have to tell me yours.” Sixty said firmly.

Gavin stayed quiet for a moment before giving Sixty’s hand a quick squeeze and letting out another sigh. “I dreamt I was drowning. Suffocating in waters so dark it was impossible to tell which way was up while the water pressed in on me, forcing the air out of my lungs. I knew there would be no rescue and soon I would be dead.” Gavin laughed nervously, “As I said, it’s dumb and pathetic. I know how to swim so why should I be afraid of drowning?” He then yanked at Sixty’s hand as he tried to pull away. But Sixty gripped his hand tight, aggressively leaning into Gavin’s space so he knew he was there.

“If it caused you fear, then it’s not stupid.” Sixty said firmly. “It may be baseless, but it’s still there and it’s fine to acknowledge that.”

Gavin gave out a short bark of a laugh. “Look who’s talking. Like you ever acknowledge having feelings except in extreme circumstances.”

Sixty gave Gavin a flat stare, one that made Gavin look away uncomfortably. “I admit I’m not the best example of admitting one’s feelings.” Sixty said. “But that doesn’t make what I said any less true.”

Gavin muttered something self-deprecating under his breath that Sixty didn’t entirely catch.

Sixty reached out to grab Gavin’s chin, lifting it up so the man had to look him in the eyes. “I love you Gavin, and you deserve that love. And nothing will change that, not a nightmare, not anything.”

A red color suffused Gavin’s cheeks as he blushed. With the barest hint of a grin he muttered, “How embarrassing for you.”

Sixty gently knocked his forehead against Gavin’s, “Whatever. Do you feel well enough to go back to sleep now?”

“Yeah, I do. Just one last thing.”

“What’s that?”

Gavin gave Sixty a cheeky grin, “I love you too.”

Sixty rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. “Yeah, yeah. Now go back to sleep, we still have work in the morning.”


End file.
